''Achnatherum'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of plants which includes several species of

needlegrass The term needlegrass may refer to any of several genera of grasses, including: *'' Achnatherum'' *''Aristida'' (three-awns) *'' Hesperostipa'' *''Nassella'' *''Stipa'' *''Triraphis'' See also * Spear grass (disambiguation) * Wiregrass (disambigua ...

. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''

Stipa ''Stipa'' is a genus of around 300 large perennial hermaphroditic grasses collectively known as feather grass, needle grass, and spear grass. They are placed in the subfamily Pooideae and the tribe Stipeae, which also contains many species form ...

''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ''

Achnatherum hymenoides ''Eriocoma hymenoides'' (common names: Indian ricegrass and sand rice grass) is a cool-season, Perennial plant, perennial bunchgrass with narrow, rolled leaf blades.Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Pam MacKay, 2nd Ed., p287 It is native to western Nort ...

'' was useful as a food source to Native Americans. '' Achnatherum brachychaetum'' is best known as a noxious weed.

Species

Species recognized by

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...

as of November 2019: Species previously included in ''Achnatherum'': * '' Achnatherum acutum'' (Swallen) Valdés-Reyna & Barkworth * ''

Achnatherum aridum ''Achnatherum aridum'' is a species of grass known by the common name Mormon needlegrass. It is native to the southwestern United States from the Mojave Desert in California east to Colorado and New Mexico. Description ''Achnatherum aridum'' is ...

'' (M.E.Jones) Barkworth - Mormon needlegrass * '' Achnatherum bloomeri'' (Boland.) Barkworth - Bloomer's ricegrass * ''

Achnatherum bromoides ''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ' ...

'' (L.) P. Beauv. * '' Achnatherum brachychaetum'' (Godr.) Barkworth - punagrass * ''

Achnatherum capense ''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ' ...

'' (L.) P. Beauv. * ''

Achnatherum caragana ''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ' ...

'' (Trin. & Rupr.) Nevski * ''

Achnatherum caudatum ''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ' ...

'' (Trin.) S. L. W. Jacobs & J. Everett - Chilean ricegrass * ''

Achnatherum clandestinum ''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ' ...

'' (Hack.) Barkworth - Mexican ricegrass * ''

Achnatherum contractum ''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ' ...

'' (B.L. Johnson) Barkworth - contracted ricegrass * '' Achnatherum coronatum'' (Thurb.) Barkworth - crested needlegrass * ''

Achnatherum curvifolium ''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ' ...

'' (Swallen) Barkworth - Guadalupe ricegrass * '' Achnatherum diegoense'' (Swallen) Barkworth - San Diego needlegrass * ''

Achnatherum duthiei ''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ' ...

'' (Hook.f.) P.C. Kuo & S.L. Lu * ''

Achnatherum editorum ''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ' ...

'' (E. Fourn.) Valdés-Reyna & Barkworth * ''

Achnatherum eminens ''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ' ...

'' (Cav.) Barkworth - southwestern needlegrass * ''

Achnatherum hendersonii ''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ' ...

'' (Vasey) Barkworth - Henderson's needlegrass * ''Achnatherum hymenoides'' (''

Oryzopsis hymenoides ''Eriocoma hymenoides'' (common names: Indian ricegrass and sand rice grass) is a cool-season, perennial bunchgrass with narrow, rolled leaf blades.Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Pam MacKay, 2nd Ed., p287 It is native to western North America east of ...

'') Ricker ex Piper - Indian ricegrass * ''

Achnatherum latiglume ''Achnatherum latiglume'' is a species of grass known by the common names wide-glumed needlegrass, Sierra needlegrass. Its current classification by the Jepson Herbarium is ''Stipa latiglumis''.Achnatherum lemmonii ''Eriocoma lemmonii'' is a species of grass known by the common name Lemmon's needlegrass. It is native to western North America, where its distribution extends from British Columbia to southern California. This perennial grass forms a dense clu ...

'' (Vasey) Barkworth - Lemmon's needlegrass * ''

Achnatherum lettermanii ''Achnatherum lettermanii'' is a species of grass known by the common name Letterman's needlegrass. The updated and accepted name is ''Stipa lettermanii''. It is native to the western United States from California to Montana to New Mexico, where ...

'' (Vasey) Barkworth - Letterman's needlegrass * ''

Achnatherum lobatum ''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ' ...

'' (Swallen) Barkworth - lobed needlegrass * ''

Achnatherum nelsonii ''Achnatherum nelsonii'' is a species of grass known by the common names Columbia needlegrass, subalpine needlegrass, and western needlegrass. It is native to western North America, from Yukon and British Columbia to California to Texas.Zouhar, K ...

'' (Scribn.) Barkworth - Nelson's needlegrass, Dore's needlegrass * ''

Achnatherum nevadense ''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ' ...

'' (B.L. Johnson) Barkworth - Nevada needlegrass * ''

Achnatherum occidentale ''Eriocoma occidentalis'' is a species of grass known by the common name western needlegrass. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in many types of habitat. This is a tufting perenn ...

'' (Thurb.) Barkworth - western needlegrass * ''

Achnatherum parishii ''Stipa parishii'', formerly classified as ''Achnatherum parishii'', is a species of grass known by the common name Parish's needlegrass.

'' (Vasey) Barkworth - Parish's needlegrass * '' Achnatherum perplexum'' Hoge & Barkworth - perplexing needlegrass * '' Achnatherum pinetorum'' (M.E. Jones) Barkworth - pinewoods needlegrass * '' Achnatherum richardsonii'' (Link) Barkworth - Richardson's needlegrass * ''

Achnatherum robustum ''Achnatherum robustum'', commonly known as sleepy grass, (synonyms ''Stipa robusta'', also ''Stipa vaseyi'' subsp. ''robusta'') is a perennial plant in the Poaceae or grass family. Distribution It grows on dry soil in the U.S. Midwest, ranging ...

'' (Vasey) Barkworth - sleepygrass * '' Achnatherum roshevitzii'' Mussajev - Roshevich's achnatherum * '' Achnatherum scribneri'' (Vasey) Barkworth - Scribner needlegrass * '' Achnatherum speciosum'' Trin. & Rupr. - desert needlegrass * ''

Achnatherum splendens ''Achnatherum'' is a genus of plants which includes several species of needlegrass. Several needlegrass species have been switched between ''Achnatherum'' and genus ''Stipa''; taxonomy between the two closely related genera is still uncertain. ' ...

'' (Trin.) Nevski * '' Achnatherum stillmanii'' (Bol.) Barkworth - Stillman's needlegrass * '' Achnatherum thurberianum'' (Piper) Barkworth - Thurber's needlegrass * '' Achnatherum swallenii'' (C.L. Hitchc. & Spellenb.) Barkworth - Swallen's needlegrass * '' Achnatherum webberi'' (Thurb.) Barkworth - Webber needlegrass

References

* ''CRC World Dictionary of Grasses - Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology - Volume I (A - D)'', by Umberto Quattrocchi,

External links

USDA Plants Profile for ''Achnatherum'' speciesHerbarium.usu.edu: ''Achnatherum'' Genus key
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2414084 Grasses of North America Grasses of the United States Grasses of Mexico Native grasses of California Poaceae genera Taxa named by Palisot de Beauvois